Man charged with trying to coerce 16-year-old girl to have sex

Denis Aguilar, 22, was charged on June 27 with sexual trafficking of a child.

PLATTE COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -

A Kansas City man has been charged with trying to coerce a 16-year-old girl to have sex with him by threatening to post nude pictures of her online.

Denis Aguilar, 22, was charged on June 27 with sexual trafficking of a child.

The victim and her mother went to police on April 10 and reported Aguilar had requested nude photos of the teen victim, according to court documents.

After the victim sent the photos, Aguilar allegedly threatened to publicly post the photos online if she didn't have sex with him, according to court documents. He also sought additional photos, authorities said Monday.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said the victim said she was on a social network website set up not to connect with anyone over the age of 18.

The victim and Aguilar met on the website and began communicating through various other social media sites.

Aguilar allegedly claimed he was 18 years old and repeatedly asked the victim for nude photos.

The victim sent Aguilar a photo thinking he would "back off" and then stopped talking to him, according to court documents. Aguilar then allegedly continued to message her, becoming angry when she stopped responding.

Aguilar allegedly threatened to post her photo if she didn't send him another nude photo and then said he would post the photos if she did not have sex with him.

The victim gave a detective authorization to use her online identity. On April 16, the detective began communicating with Aguilar on the last social network used by the victim and Aguilar.

The victim's age was given as 14, and Aguilar allegedly wanted to meet the victim anyway to engage in sexual acts.

Aguilar allegedly wanted her to bring her 14-year-old friend and stated she could watch them or they could all three engage in sex together.

They decided to meet at a McDonald's on Northwest 83rd Terrace in the Northland. Aguilar was arrested when he arrived at that location.

Aguilar is being held in the Platte County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

If convicted of sexual trafficking of a child, he faces 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"Just last week, a national newspaper reported that sextortion is an online epidemic. Everyone, adults and children alike, should be vigilant online, and parents need to teach their children about the dangers that lurk on the internet," Zahnd said.

Zahnd said his office received some information that Aguilar may have attempted to extort sex from other victims.

Authorities are now asking for the public's help to make sure no one else has been victimized.

If you or someone you know has been coerced into having sex with Aguilar or any other person, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Zahnd urged parents to talk to their children about being safe online.

"The most important thing we tell people is don't talk on the internet with anybody you don't know in real life," he said.

He said teens need to realize that their online actions can have long-term consequences.

"We know that kids are going to make mistakes," he said. "The problem is that in the internet age those mistakes can follow them for the rest of their lives."